Applicator for a Cosmetic Product and Associated Applicator Assembly

ABSTRACT

An applicator and an associated applicator assembly for a cosmetic product. The applicator has a core having a main longitudinal extension direction (X), and a plurality of protrusions projecting from the core in a direction which is perpendicular (Y) to the main direction (X). At least one of the protrusions has a first portion having a proximal end which is in contact with the core and an opposite distal end along the perpendicular direction (Y), and a second portion having a proximal end in the region of the distal end of the first portion and a free distal end. The second portion being angularly offset with respect to the first portion in such a way that the first and second portions are located on both sides of a plane (P) containing the main direction (X) and the perpendicular direction Y.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to French Patent Application No. 1557798 filed Aug. 18, 2015. The present application claims priority to and the benefit the above-identified application, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to an applicator for a cosmetic product and to an associated applicator assembly

BACKGROUND

Applicator assemblies for a cosmetic product are known, in particular for a cosmetic product which is intended to be applied to eyelashes, such as mascara, comprising a receptacle containing the cosmetic product and an applicator which is capable of being detachably attached to the receptacle.

The receptacle generally comprises a body, the body comprising walls defining a container in which the cosmetic product is contained, and a neck defining an opening through which the cosmetic product can be extracted.

The applicator assembly generally comprises a cap which is capable of being attached to the neck, a rod extending from the cap and an applicator which is attached to a free end of the rod. The applicator comprises a core and a plurality of protrusions or bristles extending from the core.

When the cap is attached to the neck, the rod and the applicator extend inside the container. The applicator is immersed in the cosmetic product contained in the container.

In order to use the applicator, the user detaches the cap from the neck and extracts the applicator from the receptacle.

In order to prevent the applicator from being overloaded with cosmetic product, the receptacle generally comprises a wiper, which is attached inside the neck. When the user extracts the applicator from the receptacle, the applicator slides inside the wiper. The wiper scrapes off the excess cosmetic product on the rod and on the applicator.

The wiper thus makes it possible to control the amount of product which is present on the applicator and prevents an excessive application of cosmetic product to the eyelashes.

The wiper limits, in particular, the amount of product which is present on the protrusions. Two parameters interact for this purpose i.e. the internal diameter of the wiper and the radial extension of the protrusions.

Thus, the amount of product which is desired on the protrusions at the output of the wiper results from the compromise between the internal diameter of the wiper and the radial extension of the protrusions.

However, the protrusions acting as combing teeth must have a certain degree of rigidity. Therefore, the free end of this type of protrusions can have the effect of a sharp point, which it would be advantageous to avoid; the effect of a sharp point is understood in this case to mean a stinging sensation on a user's eyelash or eyelid.

SUMMARY

One object of the present invention is to propose an applicator which gives the user a sensation of softness.

The invention thus relates to an applicator for cosmetic product comprising a core having a main longitudinal extension direction, which is referred to as the main direction, and a plurality of protrusions projecting from said core in a direction which is perpendicular to said main direction.

According to the invention, at least one of said protrusions comprises a first portion having a proximal end which is in contact with the core and an opposite distal end along said perpendicular direction, and a second portion having a proximal end in the region of the distal end of said first portion and a free distal end, said second portion being angularly offset with respect to said first portion in such a way that said first and second portions are located on both sides of a plane containing said main direction.

The applicator of the invention is particularly advantageous because it makes it possible to provide an applicator having protrusions which can be used to comb eyelashes, for example by means of said first portion, without said protrusions being too rigid, for example by providing a second portion, which is angularly offset with respect to said first portion.

The combination of these two portions provides the protrusion with a double function, that of combing by means of the first portion which is rigid, and that of loading cosmetic product, by means of the second portion, which provides the protrusion with flexibility and thus promotes the deposit of cosmetic product on the eyelashes. Therefore, the combination of two protrusion portions makes it possible to make the application of product to the user's eyelashes both effective and pleasant.

According to different embodiments of the invention, which can be taken together or separately:

-   -   said first and second portions each have a planar face,     -   said planar faces are coincident with the plane containing said         main direction,     -   the cross section of each of said first and second portions is         substantially semi-circular, from the proximal end to the distal         end thereof,     -   said first and second portions have different flexibilities,     -   said first and second portions are formed so as to be integral,     -   said first and second portions are formed so as to be integral         with the core,     -   the core is made of plastics material,     -   said at least one protrusion is designed so as to form at least         one storage region in the region of the distal end of said first         portion and/or in the region of the proximal end of said second         portion,     -   said storage region is capable of loading up cosmetic product,     -   said plurality of protrusions consists of protrusions comprising         a portion referred to as the first portion and a portion         referred to as the second portion,     -   said plurality of protrusions is arranged in rows which are         substantially parallel to said main direction,     -   the protrusions are positioned in such a way that the planar         faces of two adjacent protrusions are oriented in the same         direction of rotation.

The invention also relates to an applicator assembly for cosmetic product, comprising a receptacle having a body forming a container which is intended to contain the cosmetic product, and an applicator such as described above, which is capable of being attached to the receptacle, in such a way that the applicator is accommodated inside the container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood, and other aims, details, features and advantages thereof will become clearer throughout the following detailed explanatory description of at least one embodiment of the invention given by way of purely illustrative and non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of an embodiment of an applicator according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a view of a detail of the region having the reference sign B in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 shows the cross section A-A which is labelled in FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an embodiment of a plurality of protrusions which are arranged in two rows which are angularly adjacent to the surface of an applicator according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY ASPECTS

The invention relates to an applicator 10 for cosmetic product comprising a core 12 having a main longitudinal extension direction, which is referred to as the main direction, and labelled X in the drawings.

The core 12 is shown here as being solid. Said core could also be provided so as to be hollow without departing from the scope of the invention.

It should be noted that the core 12 can be straight or curved, without departing from the scope of the invention.

When the core is curved, said main direction X is defined by the main longitudinal extension direction of the core, that is to say a direction which is central to the curve outlined by said curved core.

The applicator 10 from the invention also comprises a plurality of protrusions 20 projecting from said core 12 in a direction which is perpendicular to said main direction X. Said perpendicular direction is labelled Y in the drawings. A plane P, as illustrated in FIG. 4, contains said main direction X and said perpendicular direction Y.

It should be noted that a plurality of protrusions 20 projecting from said core 12 in a direction which is perpendicular to said main direction X does not exclude protrusions which are inclined with respect to said main direction, for example towards the front or towards the rear of the applicator 10 (examples not shown here). In other words, a plurality of protrusions projecting from said core in a direction which is perpendicular to said main direction X means: a plurality of protrusions which project, in particular in a plane containing said main direction X.

According to the invention, at least one of said protrusions 20 comprises a first portion 21 having a proximal end 23 which is in contact with the core 12 and an opposite distal end 24 along said perpendicular direction Y (see FIGS. 3 and 4), and a second portion 22 having a proximal end 25 in the region of the distal end 24 of said first portion 21 and a free distal end 26 along said perpendicular direction Y (see FIGS. 3 and 4).

Portion is understood to mean a protrusion portion 20 extending over a portion of the radial extension of said protrusion, in particular along said perpendicular direction Y. In this case, by way of example, the first portion 21 extends over a length of approximately 1.25 mm between the proximal end 23 and the distal end 24 thereof, while the second portion 22 extends over a length of approximately 1.5 mm from the proximal end 25 thereof. This difference in radial extension between said first and second portions 21, 22 makes it possible to define distinct envelopes E1, E2, the distal ends 24, 26 of said first and second portions 21, 22 forming said envelopes E1, E2.

Secondly, “a second portion 22 having a proximal end 25 in the region of the distal end 24 of said first portion 21” means that the distal end 24 of the first portion 21 and the proximal end 25 of the second portion 22 are offset with respect to one another while sharing a common region, a region which is not limited to a point.

It should be noted that the plurality of protrusions 20 consists in this case of protrusions 20 comprising a portion referred to as the first portion 21 and a portion referred to as the second portion 22.

It should also be noted that said plurality of protrusions 20 is arranged in rows which are substantially parallel to said main direction X. In this case, the applicator 10 advantageously comprises 12 rows of protrusions 20 which are angularly offset around the main direction X, for example by a constant angle of approximately 30°. This example is non-limiting and the applicator 10 from the invention can comprise a different number of rows, for example of between 6 and 24 rows, without departing from the scope of the invention. Secondly, the adjacent rows of protrusions 20 in this case are shown in a staggered manner, which explains why FIG. 3 comprises only 6 protrusions 20.

Therefore, the sequence of protrusions 20 along said rows makes it possible to form envelopes E1, E2 with original forms, such as those shown in FIG. 1, in particular an envelope E1 in the form of a core and an envelope E2 in the form of a cylinder, which is advantageously nested inside the envelope E2.

Said envelopes E1, E2 are formed by varying the radial extension of the first and second portions with respect to one another. Thus, the protrusions 20 following one another along the main direction X can have first portions 21 having radial extensions, between the proximal end 23 and the distal end 24 thereof, which change for example between 1 mm and 2 mm.

The associated advantage lies in the ability to provide the applicator 10 from the invention with additional make-up application effects. More specifically, the envelope E1 which is formed in this case by the distal ends 24 of the first portions 21 of the protrusions 20 makes it possible to curl the eyelashes by means of the concave shape of said envelope. This concave shape is obtained by changing the radial extension of the first portions 21 of the successive protrusions 20 with respect to the second portion 22 of the same protrusions 20. The envelope E2 itself makes it possible to load the eyelashes because it is formed by the distal ends 26 of the second portions 22, which are provided so as to be more flexible than the first portions 21.

Said envelopes E1, E2 can be perceived by a user by sight and by touch, in particular because said first and second portions 21, 22 of each protrusion 20 are angularly offset.

Indeed, according to the invention, said first and second portions 21, 22 belong to a protrusion which extends in said perpendicular direction Y. Said second portion 22 is advantageously angularly offset with respect to said first portion 21 in such a way that said first and second portions 21, 22 are located on both sides of a plane P containing said main direction X and said perpendicular direction Y (see in particular FIG. 4). In other words, the plane P is that which contains said main direction X and said perpendicular direction Y.

“[S]aid second portion 22 is advantageously angularly offset with respect to said first portion 21” is understood to mean a second portion 22 which overlaps the first portion 21, at least over a portion of the radial extension length thereof, for example, over a length of approximately 0.5 mm (see reference sign I in FIG. 3). In other words, the second portion 22 is added in the region of the distal end 24 of the first portion 21, an end in this case being a region of points and not a single point. In other words, the second portion 22 begins in the region of the distal end 24 of the first portion 21. In other words again, the protrusion 20 has an increased thickness along the radial extension thereof, in the region of the distal end 24 of said first portion 21 and of the proximal end 25 of the second portion 22.

Said increased thickness results from adding together the thicknesses e24 and e25, which are measured in a transverse plane which is substantially orthogonal to the main direction X, in the region of the distal end 24 of the first portion 21 for e24, and in the region of the proximal end 25 of the second portion 22 for e25 (see FIG. 2).

Providing the angular offset of the second portion 22 with respect to said first portion 21 on both sides of a plane P containing said main direction X and said perpendicular direction Y makes it possible to prevent any deterioration of the protrusion 20, in particular during the passage thereof through a wiper. In other words, the increased thickness which is generated by said angular offset forms a step, or even a bulge of material in a given plane, so as not to collide with said wiper. In other words again, said increased thickness is provided in a specific orientation, so as to form a relief in an orthogonal plane which is transverse to the main direction X (for example the plane of the cross section A-A, or also the plane of the sheet for FIG. 3) and not in the plane P.

In other words again, the protrusion 20 forms at least one recess between the distal end 24 of the first portion 21 and the proximal end 25 of the second portion 22, said recess being observable solely in a plane which is transverse and substantially orthogonal to the main direction X. Given that an applicator 10 according to the invention is wiped by displacing the applicator 10 along said main direction X, the second portion 22 of the protrusion 20 will not be torn off during the passage thereof from the applicator 10 through the wiper because no hard point is created in this wiping direction. In other words, the protrusion 20 is oriented in such a way that the second portion 22 is not deformed during the wiping, or even in such a way that the second portion 22 is only deformed very slightly during the wiping; in this case, the second portion 22 is not arranged in the wiping direction X.

It should be noted that the applicator 10 from the invention can also comprise a plurality of protrusions 30 which have only one portion, without departing from the scope of the invention. Said protrusions 30, which are referred to as single-portion protrusions, are provided in this case in the region of said proximal 13 and distal 14 ends of the core 12. Said protrusions 30 create a region of precise make-up application for the user, in particular in the region of the distal end 14 of the core 12.

As shown in FIG. 4, said first and second portions 21, 22 each have a planar face, F1, F2 respectively. This makes it possible to facilitate the addition of the second portion 22 to said first portion 21 of the protrusion 20. Said planar faces F1, F2 are advantageously coincident with the plane P containing said main direction X and said perpendicular direction Y; this explains why the increased thickness, the step, the recess, or also the relief which exists along the radial extension of said protrusion 20, is not visible in said plane P.

Secondly, the cross section of each of said first and second portions 21, 22 is substantially semi-circular (see FIG. 2). Said first and second portions 21, 22 can, inter alia, have a constant cross section along the radial direction Y, or also have a cross section which has a constant shape but with changing dimensions. For example, the cross section of each of said first and second portions 21, 22 is substantially semi-circular, and has dimensions which decrease along the perpendicular direction Y, from the core 12 towards the distal end 26, so as to form portions 21, 22 of frustoconical protrusions.

It should be noted that the convex, or domed, surfaces of said first and second portions 21, 22, which are opposite said planar faces F1, F2, do not have common regions.

The dimensions of said first and second portions 21, 22, both in the region of the diameter and of the length thereof, can be different. In this case, the second portions 22 will have dimensions which are smaller than those of the first portions 21. The second portions are thus less rigid or more flexible than the first portions 21. Thus, said first and second portions 21, 22 will have different flexibilities. In other words, the applicator 10 from the invention gives the user a sensation of softness with said second portion 22 which is located at the distal end of said protrusion 20.

It should be noted that the core 12 will be produced from plastics material, preferably obtained by injection moulding. The protrusions 20, 30 will advantageously be moulded with the core 12. In other words, the protrusions 20, 30 can be integral with the core 12 or also overmoulded on the core 12. The core 12 and the protrusions 20, 30 will be moulded from plastics material. For example, the core 12 and the protrusions 20, 30 can be moulded from an LDPE (low-density polyethylene)-based material. Other materials can also be used, namely the material “EXACT” from ExxonMobil or the material “HYTREL” from Dupont, or a mixture of said materials.

This makes it possible to produce a core 12 and protrusions 20, 30 with original shapes. It is thus possible to produce, in a direct manner and by means of a single moulding operation, the complex shape which will give the features thereof to the protrusion 20. In other words, the protrusions 20 have two portions 21, 22 having different rigidities even though they are obtained in the same manner.

Advantageously, said at least one protrusion 20 is designed so as to form at least one storage region Z24 in the region of the distal end 24 of said first portion 21 and/or in the region of the proximal end 25 of said second portion Z25 (see FIG. 4). A storage region Z24, Z25 is understood to mean a region which is capable of loading up the cosmetic product. Said protrusion 20 thus makes it possible to load up the cosmetic product, in particular due to the intrinsic properties thereof, in particular by means of the increased thicknesses, steps, recesses or also reliefs, which exist along the protrusion 20:

-   -   between the planar face F1 and the proximal end 25 of the second         portion 22, creating the region having the reference sign Z25 in         FIG. 3, and     -   between the planar face F2 and the distal end 24 of the first         portion 21, creating the region having the reference sign Z24 in         the same FIG. 4.

This arrangement protects the storage region(s) Z24, Z25 during the wiping, in particular because the wiping direction is coincident with said main direction X.

It should be noted that, for the purposes of moulding in particular, the protrusions 20 are positioned in such a way that the planar faces F1, F2 of two adjacent protrusions 20 are oriented in the same direction of rotation.

It should also be noted that the applicator 10 advantageously forms a brush.

The invention also relates to an applicator assembly for a cosmetic product, comprising a receptacle (not illustrated here) comprising a body forming a container which is intended to contain the cosmetic product, and an applicator 10 such as described above, which is capable of being attached to the receptacle, in such a way that the applicator 10 is accommodated inside the container. The performance of the applicator 10 from the invention will be optimised if it is used with a particularly fluid formula of cosmetic product.

It should also be noted that variants are of course possible. In particular, it is also conceivable, in an additional embodiment, for the shapes of the envelopes E1, E2 to be different from those described above, for example the envelope E1 formed by the distal ends 24 of the first portions 21 can be any other shape, for example a cylindrical shape, whereas that of the envelope E2 formed by the distal ends 26 of the second portions 22 will be in the shape of a core when said applicator 10 is viewed from the front. 

1. Applicator for a cosmetic product comprising a core having a main longitudinal extension direction, which is referred to as the main direction, and a plurality of protrusions projecting from said core in a direction which is perpendicular to said main direction, at least one of said protrusions comprising a first portion having a proximal end which is in contact with the core and an opposite distal end along said perpendicular direction, and a second portion having a proximal end in the region of the distal end of said first portion and a free distal end, said second portion being angularly offset with respect to said first portion in such a way that said first and second portions are located on both sides of a plane containing said main direction.
 2. Applicator for a cosmetic product according to claim 1, wherein said first and second portions each have a planar face.
 3. Applicator for a cosmetic product according to claim 2, wherein said planar faces are coincident with the plane containing said main direction.
 4. Applicator according to claim 1, wherein said first and second portions have different flexibilities.
 5. Applicator according to claim 1, wherein said first and second portions are formed so as to be integral.
 6. Applicator according to claim 5, wherein said first and second portions are formed so as to be integral with the core.
 7. Applicator according to claim 1, wherein said at least one protrusion is designed so as to form at least one storage region in the region of the distal end of said first portion and/or in the region of the proximal end of said second portion.
 8. Applicator according to claim 7, wherein said storage region is capable of loading up cosmetic product.
 9. Applicator according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of protrusions consists of protrusions comprising one said first portion and one said second portion, said plurality of protrusions being arranged in rows which are substantially parallel to said main direction.
 10. Applicator assembly for a cosmetic product, comprising: a receptacle comprising a body forming a container which is intended to contain the cosmetic product, and an applicator according to claim 1 which is capable of being attached to the receptacle in such a way that the applicator is accommodated inside the container. 